You might be reading This as a client, friend or follower. Perhaps you're wearing one of my pieces or maybe one day you will!
Mother's day is around the corner and I wanted to give a huge shout out to my mum. She's amazing (I take after her of course!).
Many of us lucky to have our mums will want to tell them how grateful we are and how much we love them. I know I will.
If it wasn't for my mum (and dad) I wouldn't be here. No, not in that sense. If it wasn't for my parents I doubt I'd have become a jeweller. It's true.
Back in 1991, I was a 17 year old know-it all, I'd done my GCSEs and I had no clue what to do. A friend of my parents suggested that during my Passover (Easter) half-term break, I do some work experience at his jewellery firm.
Guess what I LOVED IT! I remember it like it was yesterday. Steve, the workshop manager, was wearing a thick gold ring on his middle finger. He took it off, placed it in a crucible and proceeded to melt it. In seconds turned molten. Steve then poured it into a skillet and waited for it to cool. The next step was to run it through some mills, shape it round, cut the ends off, solder the join together then file, buff and polish. Before I knew it, he was wearing it back on his finger again. That was it for me. I was hooked. From that day on I knew I wanted to become a jeweller. I just can’t believe that was 30 years ago this spring.
Would it surprise you to know that the first piece of jewellery I made, was a gold ring with a spinning dolphin. And yes, it was for my mum. To this day she still has it tucked away in her jewellery box.
They do say that behind every great man is a great woman, and never has this been a truer statement. Without my mum (and dad), giving me direction all those years ago, I would have probably ended up joining the fire brigade which was my childhood dream. Now there’s a thought!
